Catalyst 3: Tainted Rebirth
by Unstable Firestarter
Summary: Death isn't eternal. When Yazoo meets a woman who reminds him of Sophronica he believes that it is really her but she wants nothing to do with him or his Brothers. An old enemy is astir, breaking all plans of peace and threating them once again. Yazoo/OC
1. Return

Summary: Death isn't eternal. When Yazoo meets a woman who reminds him of Sophronica, he believes that it is really her-but she wants nothing to do with him or his Brothers. An old enemy is astir, breaking all plans of peace and threatening them once again. Rated for language, some adult themes, and later character death (again).

Disclaimer: as always, I own nothing of Final Fantasy -sigh-

Thank you for all the lovely reviews on Catalyst two from LuiVougan, Aiko-Chan, and kYLz07 So here is the first chap of the final fic of the Catalyst Trilogy.

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**Tainted Rebirth**

**Chapter One "Return"**

The streets were busy with the usual traffic of people and cars, all having some place to go, some thing to do. Things were looking up for Edge ever since the Jenova Incident had been taken care of. That's what they called the near catastrophic event involving the Sephiroth Remnants. They had been after Jenova's remains to return Sephiroth and finally 'take revenge' on the planet. And with the help of the great General's sister, they had nearly succeeded. Upon their failure, when they fled, Shin-Ra did everything in its power to make sure that they couldn't wreak any more havoc. After Sophronica's death, the other three had vanished, and it was unknown if Shin-Ra had gotten them or if they still lived.

That had been six months ago, and most of the citizens of Edge had forgotten about it. Everything had gone back to the way it used to be before the Incident, and now with Shin-Ra's help, the city was starting to be rebuilt. But amongst all of this, there was one person who hadn't forgotten, who couldn't forget. One remnant who remained and couldn't allow the past to be dead and gone. No matter how hard he had tried at first. Eventually he'd given up on trying. Her memory had been torturing him for those six long months, recurring in his dreams at night, and appearing before his eyes when he was awake. For a while then, he'd maybe gone completely insane. But didn't he deserve to suffer? After everything she'd done for him-for them-and he couldn't do this one thing for her?

That's why he haunted the streets of Edge. Hiding, watching, not interacting with anyone for more reasons then just that it would cause panic if they saw him. He never spoke to anyone anymore. Barely even his brothers. And they hated it when he spent his time here in the city, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. This had been where he'd first met her, when she'd tried to stop him from taking the children away. She hadn't been afraid of him like every one else was. She had stood up to him. But that had been so long ago…and still he couldn't _not_ be here.

For a moment, as he sat in an alley, his back to the wall, he closed his eyes. She was never coming back, he knew that. And yet some part of him couldn't accept that. He heard small footsteps coming towards him and raised his head, one gloved hand moving reflexively to Velvet Nightmare at his side. A child of about eight stood a few feet from him, gazing at him with her head tilted to the side. Her hair was dark blonde, seeming to have streaks of silver in it, pulled back into a braid at the base of her neck with stray wisps framing her face. Her vivid green eyes were alight with curiosity.

"You seem sad," she said, and her voice was light and musical, some how too mature for an eight year old, "Why are you so sad?"

He relaxed a little, not answering her question. "Don't you know you should not talk to strangers?" he said after a moment, his voice sounding foreign even to himself, it had been so long since he'd spoken.

She tilted her head to the other side, and he frowned a little; the gesture some how reminded him of himself.

"Faye! There you are, Faye! How many times do I have…to…tell…you…"

He looked up at the sound of the woman's voice. She'd faltered when she'd seen him, he guessed. She took the girl by the hand and pulled her away from him, placing her hands protectively on the child's shoulders. She gazed at him suspiciously, but not fearfully.

"I apologize if my daughter has bothered you," she said some what cautiously.

She appeared too young to be the girl's mother, only about twenty-four or so. Her eyes were as blue as the child's were green, and her hair went down to her shoulder blades, a lighter blonde than the girl's, like the color of the sun. Her hair shone in the late afternoon light, longer in the front than the back, slightly curly locks framing her face nicely.

"It's…quite alright…" he said quietly.

She nodded her head. "Good day, than," she said, before turning.

As he watched the pair walk away, he tried to shake the odd feeling that had come over him. A feeling that he couldn't explain, both foreboding and familiar. Sighing, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes again.

-----------------

That evening, it stormed. Black clouds rolled in across the sky, hiding the setting sun and the stars just beginning to emerge. The first warning was an echoing rumble of thunder, followed by a crack of lightning that lit up the dark sky and sent people scurrying for cover. This was not something he had expected, or was prepared for. He searched for some place to take refuge from the rain beginning to fall, but it was a task easier said than done. Once upon a time, there had been plenty of empty buildings for one to hide, but now with all the renovations…

Rain water dripping from the ends of his long silver hair, he paused in front of a cozy looking Inn. Lights were on inside, and he could hear voices through the curtained window. Just as he lowered his head and was about to move on, to find a place where he could be alone, the door suddenly opened.

"I thought I saw some one out here," said a woman's voice.

He turned and saw that it was the same woman from that afternoon.

Apparently she recognized him as well. "Oh, it's you. Well, don't just stand there; come in," she said, pushing the door open wider. She stepped aside, watching him expectantly.

For a moment, he continued to stand there, wondering if he should, or if it would just cause trouble. Finally, a little hesitant with the idea, he walked inside, gazing around for a second as she firmly closed the door behind him.

"You must be cold, for being out in the rain like that, come by the fire," she said.

She walked past him and into the next room, where her daughter sat on the floor by a small couch, sipping cocoa. He watched as she shooed the girl upstairs. Faye seemed hesitant to leave, stealing glances at him all the way up the stairs until she rounded the corner. The woman straightened again, her knee high black boots thudding lightly on the bare hard wood as she turned. Seeing him still standing in the doorway, she stopped for a moment. Feeling her gaze upon him, he turned his attention from the stairs and walked into the room. He felt a little uncomfortable as he glanced around, not having been in any one's company save for his brothers in so long.

"Forgive me," she said, "My name is Janneke." With a hesitant smile, she held out a hand to him.

His gaze flickered from her face to her out stretched hand, but made no move to shake it. He didn't answer her for a moment either, gazing at her warily, guarded. "Yazoo." He said simply at last.

She let her hand drop back down to her side, shifting a little from one foot to the other. "Would you…" she stopped short, suddenly feeling strange, and noticed the way he gazed at her. Some what curiously, but also…coldly. As if he didn't trust her or something like that. She certainly didn't trust him, if only for the fact that she didn't know him. "Would you like something to drink, tea, or cocoa?" she forced herself to continue, remembering that she was the hostess.

Her guest merely shook his head, wet silver hair flitting across his eyes. And the most beautiful eyes he did have…even if they scared her for some reason she couldn't name. She smoothed her palms on her skirt, a nervous habit, beginning to wonder if it had been such a good idea to invite him in out of the rain. Her skirt went all the way down to her ankles, and seemed to be leather or something similar. A slit went up both sides to her knees, and beneath this skirt she wore a pair of black shorts that stopped just above the slit. She gazed at him from across the coffee table, not liking this awkward silence.

"You don't talk much, do you?" she said at last, just to hear something besides the crackling fire place and the driving rain.

He tilted his head to the side, regarding her for a moment. "Do you…own this Inn?" he said.

Well, that was a start; it was the most she'd heard him say all at once. And such a nice voice he did have; smooth and warm, like velvet. And yet also rough and….something else. Maybe he really _didn't_ talk that much.

She nodded slowly. "My mother used to, but…she died…from the 'stigma," she averted her gaze for a moment.

"How sad," he said softly, and she looked back to him.

He didn't really sound all that sincere. She narrowed her eyes a little, but decided to let it go. Cautiously, she sat down in the armchair that was behind her, not taking her gaze from him. There was something about him that made her uneasy, but she couldn't say why; he hadn't shown any signs of hostility. Maybe it was the way that he spoke-when he actually did. Or maybe it was the not-all-there expression in his eyes. Or it was just plain his appearance; full black leather outfit, long silver hair, and unnaturally vivid green eyes with cat like pupils.

"You can sit down, you know, the couch doesn't bite," she said, with an attempt at humor.

He merely continued to gaze at her for a moment before finally sitting down.

"You can stay here free of charge for tonight," she said when he remained silent.

"I can pay," was his only reply as he returned his roaming attention to her.

"Alright then," she said, nodding her head a little.

Suddenly a stair creaked, and they both looked over. Faye stood near the bottom of the stairs, dressed in pajamas, but watching them both with wide eyed curiosity.

"What are you doing out of bed, Tenshi?" Janneke said, rising, "It's late."

He froze at her words, focusing his full attention on her. "What…did you say?" he questioned, standing as well.

"What?" she looked back at him, distracted, as she went over to her daughter. She frowned a little, puzzled as to what he meant.

"…Sophronica…" he whispered.

"I…don't know what you're talking about…sorry," Janneke said, moving to stand protectively in front of Faye.

"It's you, isn't it?" he said, crossing the room towards her.

She gave Faye a small push, signaling that the girl should go upstairs, and she complied. "I don't know who you mean, you must be mistaken," Janneke said, taking a small step backwards.

"…Has to be…" he said.

She moved to take another step back, but he grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. A flash of images raced through her mind, too fast for her to understand, and she flinched a little. He was right in front of her now, and as she gazed up at him, she saw the crazed hope in his eyes. Along with…sorrow. Drops of water slid from his hair to land on her face and arms.

"Let. Go." She said, trying to pull away.

His only response was to tighten his grip.

"I said let go!" In a flash she'd grabbed his wrist and twisted it, breaking his hold on her arm. Then she pushed him back.

Her strength caught him off guard and seemed to bring him back to his senses. He stood there for a moment blinking at her.

She struggled to regain her composure, eyeing him much more cautiously now than before. "It's late," she said in a forced calm voice, "Shall I show you to your room?"

He once more didn't speak, merely just nodded. He seemed frustrated.

She made no further comment to him, turning and walking up the stairs. Reaching the top, she went down the hall. She didn't bother to turn to see if he was following her; she could hear his footsteps. She paused before the door to a vacant room, pushing it open and standing aside.

"Here you are," she said curtly.

She watched him watch her as he walked inside. After a moment, he gazed around the room.

"Good night," she said, merely to be polite, as she pulled the door closed. And made sure to lock it.

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Gray light filled the room when he opened his eyes. He supposed it was morning, but it was still so dreary out it was difficult to tell. After a moment of blinking at the ceiling, he sighed, sat up. _Tenshi_… he'd only heard one person use that nick name. But…was it possible? She seemed so…familiar to him, and yet, at the same time…not. Maybe he was _really_ losing his mind this time. His gaze flickered to the door for a moment. He knew that she'd locked him in; she didn't trust him. Maybe she was even afraid of him-or was it the urge to protect her daughter? And what of the child. She hadn't seemed bothered by him at all, and she had the most unnatural green eyes-like himself and his brothers.

"_You came all the way out here in the rain?"_

"_A little bit of rain ain't gonna stop me, Jay."_

He tilted his head to the side, listening. Voices drifting up from downstairs. The woman, Janneke, and… Wait, he did recognize the other voice. That red haired Turk, what was his name…Reno.

"_Oh, flowers! These are beautiful, but really, you didn't have to."_

"_I know I didn't _have_ to."_

Their voices faded a little bit, moving to a room farther away.

"_Where's the little rug rat?"_

"_Upstairs, still-"_

There was a sound of small footsteps, almost inaudible to him.

"_Reno!"_

"_-Asleep. Or, I guess not."_

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Faye came running down the stairs, a smile lighting up her small face, and launched herself at Reno, who scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey munchkin, how've you been?" he said to her. He hated kids, but he loved her.

Janneke watched the two of them with a smile as she put the white flowers in a vase. Carrying the vase into the next room to place it on the table, she listened to them talking.

"You've been such a great help since Nina died," Janneke said, "I wish there was some way I could repay you." Nina had been her mother, and the previous owner of the Inn. A few months ago, she'd died from the 'stigma.

"Don't worry about it," Reno said with a smile, putting Faye down, "It's the least I could do."

Just then his cell phone rang and he sighed.

---------------

"You stay down here, ok?" Janneke said to Faye. Reno had left a few minutes ago-something to do with Shin-Ra, which was typical.

Faye nodded, but watched curiously as her mother started up the stairs.

Janneke went down hallway and hesitated before the locked door. After a second, she knocked cautiously. When there came no response, she knocked louder. There was still nothing. How could some one sleep through that? Frowning a little, she unlocked the door and eased it open slowly. The room was empty; the window was open and the curtains were flapping in the cool breeze coming through. Walking into the room, still gazing about, she saw that the silver haired man had held true to his word; the correct amount of Gil sat on the bed side table. Going over to it, she suddenly heard footsteps from downstairs. She froze, one hand hovering in midair over the Gil. Lowering her hand to her side, she heard a faint voice, distinctly male. It wasn't Reno. Maybe a customer? Than she remembered Faye and fear swept over her. She left the room with a swish of her skirt and hurried steps.

"Faye…?" she started, coming down the stairs.

She stopped short when she saw the silver haired man-what had he said his name was? Oh, that's right; Yazoo-with one hand around Faye's arm.

"Let her go, what do you want?" Janneke said.

He tilted his head to one side, merely gazing at her for a moment. "You do not…remember anything, do you?" he said at last.

"I don't know who you think I am, but I'm not them," she said. Her gaze flickered from him to Faye, who seemed oddly calm despite what was going on. "Let my daughter go."

He didn't move. "But you have to remember," he said, almost pleading.

"There's nothing to remember, you're crazy!" Janneke said.

"Can't you at least try?" he insisted.

Her gaze went briefly towards the other room. If only she hadn't left her Sias behind the check-in counter. (If you don't know what Sias are, think Elektra, her weapons are Sias.) But how should she have known she'd need them? It wasn't often the threat was here; usually she had to fight to protect herself or Faye out on the streets. Why was he so insistent that she 'remember'? Remember what? But maybe, for now she should play along, at least until Faye was safe.

"Alright…" she said after a moment, returning her gaze to him, "Perhaps I can at least do that." She started moving towards him, slowly, cautiously. "But you have to tell me what I should be remembering."

He seemed somewhat satisfied with her response, and started to tell her.

And that was when she launched a roundhouse kick that took him by surprise and caught him square in the chest. He stumbled back a step, releasing Faye.

"Run Faye!" Janneke said to her daughter.

"But-" Faye started.

"Go!" Janneke said.

Without another word, the girl turned and ran from the room.

"I wasn't going to hurt her," he said, and she thought that his expression was more sad and betrayed than angry, like she had expected.

"Why should I believe you?" Janneke said, tensing as she slid one foot farther behind her for better balance.

"You don't want to fight me," he said, catching her intentions from her stance.

"I will. If you don't get out of here right now," she said, hoping she sounded threatening instead of worried.

"I cannot leave. Why don't you understand that?" he said softly, "You…you have to remember."

He said it so sadly that for a minute she truly believed that he wasn't looking for trouble. But than she shook her head, knowing that she couldn't take the risk that he _was_. Not with Faye around. She just hoped her Inn didn't get too messed up-the repairs would be hell.

She didn't give him any warning that she was going to attack, she just did. She shifted her weight and spun, delivering another round house kick. In the time it took her to blink though, he'd brought up both hands and caught her foot inches from hitting him. Her eyes widened a little, but she shook off her surprise and pulled her foot back. Oddly, he let her. She pivoted forward and threw a punch. He darted to the side and she brought her other fist forward. He dodged again and her knuckles grazed the door frame. She aimed another kick to his chest, but he leaned backwards, executing a back flip and landing in a cat like crouch with liquid grace. It was with this same grace that he rose to his feet again as she started towards him.

She shot a glance towards the check-in counter. She didn't have time now, but maybe if she could give herself the opportunity. What she found odd was that he wasn't fighting back. She still wasn't going to take any chances though. She threw a punch when she was close enough, and even though he dodged, her fist still grazed his cheek, though did no damage. She let loose a series of punches, and he managed to evade every single one, taking a step back with each. Narrowing her eyes, she took a few steps backward herself, but only to give her enough room to leap up into a snap kick. The blow hit him in the lower chest and knocked him back out the front door. Or through it, actually, since it had been closed. She winced at the wood splintered and the glass panes shattered. It was the only hit she'd actually landed on him, and hoped it would have to be enough.

As she watched him lay there dazed for a moment amidst the wood and glass that had been the front door, she heard the steady sound of engines, coming closer. Frowning, she raised her eyes to see two motorcycles come down the street, slowing to a stop in front of the Inn. And their riders? Both leather clad silver haired men. Swallowing, she held her ground as the sounds of the engines faded into silence. The one who seemed to be the youngest of the two, quite possibly of the three, if they were all together, got off his bike and stood there for a moment, his gaze going from Yazoo to her. And as he gazed at her, he narrowed his blue-green cat's eyes.


	2. Not Taking the Risk

A/N: Thank you I always thought my fight scenes kind of sucked, lol. Hmm….a hint, well, this chapter will give you a hint on that, and if your theory's crazy or not

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**Tainted Rebirth**

**Chapter Two "Not Taking the Risk"**

Janneke watched the two new arrivals with a mix of fear and cautiousness. She could almost _feel_ the danger emanating from them, unlike how she had sensed mostly sadness from the first one. She wondered if they were going to attack her, and she hoped not; she didn't think she had much of a chance for fighting them both and winning. Even less of a chance without her Sias. The youngest was still glaring at her from behind the veil of shoulder length silver hair that half hid his face, and she forced herself to meet his eyes. He moved towards her, boots crunching over broken glass as he stepped around Yazoo.

"I don't take it lightly when some one hurts my family," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

She didn't get a chance to say anything. In the time it took her to blink, he was right in front of her. It took her a moment to understand why pain was shooting through her back from her stomach, and when she realized that he had punched her, she was already flying backwards, awkwardly hitting the check-in counter and sliding over the top, taking whatever was on it with her. She hit the ground on the other side in a heap, gritting her teeth. She pushed herself up on her elbows, blinking and shaking her head to clear the haze from it. She could hear light footsteps coming in her direction. As she rose to one knee, she spotted her Sias. Lifting them silently from the shelf where they sat, she assumed her grip on them, their weight comforting in her hands.

She suddenly rose the rest of the way from where she crouched, and brought one hand up, slashing at the air where she thought he stood. The young warrior pulled back in surprise, but the nearly foot long middle prong of her Sia still cut lightly through his cheek. He raised one gloved hand to wipe away the trickle of blood, growling softly. She took this time to move out from behind the counter. She watched him warily as he drew his double bladed sword. All of a sudden, he rushed at her. She barely had time to dodge to the side, using one of her Sias to deflect his sword.

As she turned to face him again, she felt a stinging in her arm and looked down to see twin slashes near her shoulder. She hadn't even seen him strike her. But when she looked up again, there was a smug smirk on his face that vanished as soon as he rushed at her again, raising his sword. She dropped down to a crouch and rolled to the side. Coming up again, she launched a kick. But some how, even though his back was to her, he seemed to anticipate her move and pivoted to the side. Frustrated at his speed, she reversed her grip on one of her Sias, and threw it expertly. He merely slid to the side, almost seeming to glide, and the weapon embedded in the wall where he'd been standing a split second ago.

He was moving again before she'd even lowered her arm back to her side, landing a kick square to her chest that knocked her breath away and sent her tumbling backwards.

She hit the floor hard, biting her tongue when her head connected solidly with the ground. She lost her grip on her remaining Sia as well, and as she blinked, fighting to breathe and stay conscious, she reached for it. Her silver haired opponent kicked it away from her hand though, sending it skittering through the doorway to clatter on the pavement. He knocked her back as she tried to scramble to her feet, moving to stand over her with one foot on either side of her hips. She gazed up at him fearfully as he dropped to one knee, crouching over her. He grabbed the front of her leather vest with one hand, lifting her up a little as he held his sword to her throat with his other.

"Don't fuck with my family," he said lowly.

She tried to break his grip on her vest as he drew back his sword. Something about his words seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. Just outside, Yazoo watched the scene unfolding before him. His gaze shifted for some reason to Janneke's Sia that rested nearly beside his hand. He frowned a little. Wait, what was that, tied to the handle? He hadn't noticed it before. Picking the weapon up, he saw that it wasn't just a trinket; it was a black feather. He looked up again just as his brother began to swing Souba downwards.

"Kadaj, no!"

His sword stopped just against the side of Janneke's neck, drawing thin double rivulets of blood.

She opened her eyes tentatively, having braced herself for the blow.

"Why do you stop me?" Kadaj questioned, not looking at his brother.

"Because," Yazoo said, rising to his feet in one fluid motion, "Look."

After a second's hesitation, Kadaj lowered his sword from her neck, turning his head. His gaze flickered to the feather and he frowned a little. "So?" he said.

"It's…I think…"

He saw Yazoo's expression and knew at once what he meant. "_Her_?" he said, looking back to Janneke. Releasing her, he rose and backed up a few steps. He shook his head. "It cannot be. You're just being hopeful brother."

"Who says? There is always the possibility. I mean; look at us," Yazoo said.

Kadaj was silent for a moment, thinking. Not only did he have a point, it was the most he'd heard him say since that day. He looked from his brother to Janneke, who was climbing shakily to her feet, eyeing them all warily. "If it is…she is not the same," he said.

"What are you talking about, are you all insane?" Janneke spoke at last, one hand at her neck.

"See? She doesn't remember," Kadaj said.

But Yazoo seemed unwilling to let it drop that quickly. He turned his attention to Janneke. "Ever…have dreams. You can't explain? Of…some one else?" he asked.

She frowned at his question, honestly startled, but pretending to consider it while she thought. How would he know something like that? She did have weird dreams…some times more frequent than others, but none very recently. Jumbles of images that made no sense. Dreams of being inside the Shin-Ra building, of being places she'd never even heard of before. Lots of other things that she couldn't untangle. But how could that have anything to do with whatever they were talking about?

"Maybe," she replied cryptically, unwilling to tell these strangers too much.

It was than that Faye came running down the stairs. "Mom!" she cried.

Janneke half turned. "Faye…" she started as her daughter hid behind her, peering around her at the three strangers.

"Her eyes…" Kadaj whispered.

She turned to face them again, one hand protectively on Faye's shoulder. What was he talking about now?

"She has your eyes, Yazoo," he said.

"Who _are_ you people?" Janneke demanded, having had enough of all their cryptic talk.

"You wouldn't understand," Kadaj said with a shake of his head.

"I can…explain everything…" Yazoo said, his attention never wavering from her. "But…It would be better…if you came with us."

She didn't move, her gaze flickering to each of the three of them. Briefly, she wondered why the third stranger hadn't yet spoken a word, was merely standing beside his motorcycle watching them. "That isn't an option for me," she said at last.

He took a step forward, extending one hand towards her. "Please…"

"Stay back," she said warily, pushing Faye a little farther behind her.

"Mom…" her daughter said softly, almost whining.

Janneke looked down at her, gazed into her wide, beautiful green eyes. Faye didn't really seem afraid, for everything that had just happened. Like last night, she was oddly calm and almost trusting of these strangers. Janneke didn't understand it; it was odd. She frowned a little. And had her eyes always been like that? How could she have not noticed how slit like her pupils were? Unless this was some recent development… Swallowing, she lifted her gaze to the three strangers again.

"I told you; it's not her any more," Kadaj said to his brother, but he couldn't shake the odd feeling he had about the little girl. It was almost as if she knew something, something about them.

"You're not always right," Yazoo snapped, dropping his arm back to his side and turning a glare to him.

It wasn't that Kadaj had wanted to be right, he just didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them smashed down again…like Yazoo had. He understood how he felt, he missed her too, but he wasn't going to torture himself about it. Some things you just had to move on from or they would consume you, and this was one of those things. This woman…maybe some part of Sophronica resided within her, but she wasn't her. Neither was the girl, even though her eyes were…

"We should leave, Yazoo," he said quietly, lowering his head a little.

It seemed like Yazoo hadn't heard him, but he did. He shook his head slowly, eyes still pleading with Janneke.

"Yazoo," Kadaj repeated, laying a hand on his shoulder.

After a moment, Yazoo turned to him. Janneke's Sia slipped from his hand and clattered on the pavement once more.

------------------------

It was storming again. Not as bad as last night, but enough to make it unpleasant standing under the cover of the train station. Janneke stood with a duffle bag over one shoulder, Faye's back pack in one hand, and her other on the girl's shoulder. They were leaving Edge for a few days, maybe even a few weeks. Janneke found that she couldn't stay with what had happened, the attack, the broken door to the Inn, all the crazy talk about her being some one else. None of it made sense, and she feared for her daughter's safety as much as for her own. The wind was chill, bringing with it mists of water from the rain. She shivered, wishing she'd remembered to throw on a coat over her vest. But she had one in her bag, and she was just setting it down to get it out when she heard footsteps behind them. For a second, she froze, fingers on the zipper of her duffle bag. She half turned, on one knee, to look behind her.

"A fine lady like yourself shouldn't be out alone in the rain," drawled the large man standing a few yards away.

Her gaze went from him to the group of men behind him and she realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that this was the gang that always gave her trouble. "Come on Eoin, I don't want any trouble," she said. She didn't rise from where she was; her hands were so close to her Sias and she had the feeling she was going to need them.

"There won't be any trouble if you play nice," he said with a wicked grin, "Right boys?"

Janneke turned her head slightly. "Run Faye," she whispered.

After a moment's hesitation, the girl complied.

"Get the girl," Eoin said.

One of the men behind him nodded and started off after Faye.

"You're not going to touch her you bastard!" Janneke said, sliding her Sias from the bag and standing.

"You just can't play nice, can you?" Eoin said, shaking his head a little.

"Shut up!" She snapped, starting towards him.

She lashed out at him with her Sias and he jumped back, barely avoiding the blow. She leaped into a kick that caught him under the chin, snapping his head back and knocking him off his feet, taking a couple of his buddies down with him. She started after Faye, but the other man who hadn't been knocked down tackled her, dragging her to the ground hard. She grunted, almost loosing her grip on her Sias. An idea hit her, and she decided to play dead. She fell limp in his grasp, and when he rolled her over, thinking she was unconscious, her eyes snapped open and she brought one hand forward, raking the middle prong of her Sia across his face. The wound was deep, and immediately started issuing forth blood. The guy was obviously not as strong as he appeared to be, and at this he cried out. She reversed momentum and slammed her fist along with the bottom of the Sia into his head. He tumbled to the side, out cold, and she sprang to her feet.

The other three, including Eoin, had gotten to their feet again, and none of them looked real pleased with what she had done. Eoin wasted no time in sending his two remaining goons after her, as the third who wasn't unconscious was currently chasing after Faye. In response, Janneke wasted no time in fighting them, both at the same time. They seemed pretty wary of her Sias, so it was easy to hold them off until she was ready to launch an attack. She leapt into a snap kick that caught one of the guys in the shoulder and spun him around into his buddy, knocking the other off balance. When she had both feet firmly on the ground again, she lashed out at them with her Sias. The two nearly tripped over themselves to keep out of range, and ended up falling in a heap.

Shaking her head at the pathetic ness of them, she kicked the one she had kicked before in the head, effectively knocking him out. His buddy was underneath of him, and struggled to push his unconscious pal off of him. But for now it appeared that he was having no luck. Suddenly, she heard Faye screamed and whipped around in that direction. The last thug had caught her, and the girl was struggling.

"Faye!" Janneke shouted, starting to run towards her.

A sudden blow to the back of her head caused her to stumble and fall to her knees, her vision swimming. What had…? Than she remembered Eoin.

He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back, causing her to grimace. "Now, now precious; you're not playing nice," he said.

She heard a click as the barrels of a gun were set against the side of her head.

"What did I tell you about playing nice?" he hissed, yanking on her hair.

Faye screamed again, and Janneke looked once more in her direction with wild eyes.

"Please…Just let my daughter go," she said.

"I can't do that," Eoin said, "It would ruin the fun."

"Sick bastard," she spat.

He yanked on her hair again. "That's not nice; I think I'll have to punish you for that."

She grit her teeth, wishing that she wasn't in this position, that he didn't have a gun to her head, so she could beat the shit out of him and save her daughter. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, echoing in the rain, and she jumped. But she hadn't been shot. Instead, she could see Faye's captor tumble dead to the ground.

"What the fuck?" Eoin said, seeming as puzzled as her.

Another gunshot sounded, and this time, blood lightly speckled her face, causing her to flinch. Eoin collapsed, unfortunately though on top of her. With a grunt, she fell to the ground along with him. Her heart racing, she roughly shoved him aside, struggling a little bit. When she scrambled somewhat shakily to her feet, she raised her head to see a figure walking towards her out of the rain, carrying her daughter.

"Faye!" she cried.

"She has not been harmed."

The voice stopped her dead in her tracks. It was _him_, one of the three from earlier. "If you hurt her, I swear," she called, her voice wavering.

"I should think you would be thanking me, considering that I just saved both your lives," he said, "But I understand your concern."

As he drew closer, she could see that it seemed true, about Faye being uninjured. In fact, the girl seemed quite content in his arms. At the same time, both her eyes and his eyes seemed to shine for a second in the gloom. Janneke blinked in surprise, sure she had imagined it. Almost sure. But this also drew her attention more so to their eyes, and she could see that what the other silver haired man had said earlier was true; they had the same eyes. This odd realization creeped her out, needless to say. He was dripping wet, as was Faye, but neither of them seemed bothered by it. When he had reached her, he set Faye down; the girl went over to Janneke, who placed a protective hand on her shoulder. Why was it that he always seemed to be completely wet when she saw him? And why was it that this made him all the more attractive. What? Where had _that_ come from? She shook her head, returning her attention to him as he stood before her.

"Thank you," she said, "I'm very grateful for your help, but…"

"But you're leaving," Yazoo finished.

"Yes." She said.

"Please don't. Come with me," he said.

"But I don't _know_ you," Janneke said.

He lowered his eyes, silent for a moment. Why wouldn't she just trust him? He'd never given her a reason not to. True, though, that she had plenty of reasons to not want to trust Kadaj. He decided to try a different tact. "Have you always lived in Edge?" he asked.

She frowned, "What does that have to do with anything?" she said.

"Just tell me," he said quietly.

"No. I came a few months ago when my mother's Geostigma became worse," she said at last, not really wanting to tell him, and not knowing why he wanted to know.

"Where did you live before that?" he inquired.

"Why-" she started.

"Please," Yazoo interrupted.

She gazed at him for a long moment, wondering what he was getting at, why he wouldn't just leave her alone. "I don't remember," she admitted with a sigh, "There was…an accident. The doctors said I'm lucky to be alive. Faye as well."

He shook his head slowly. "There was no accident," he said. "I know why you don't remember. I can tell you what happened before that."

"Why should I believe you?" she asked skeptically.

"Because. I…used to know you," he said, reaching out a hand lightly to her face.

The instant his fingers touched her cheek, a flash of images raced through her mind, brief and confusing. A forest of pearly white trees, a large sea-shell shaped building. Two figures, one a woman with long silver hair, and the other Yazoo. The woman was asleep, or unconscious, and he was crouched beside her, untangling a twig from her hair. These images meant nothing to her, but startled her nonetheless. She drew back from him a little, gazing at him with slightly wide eyes.

"I won't force you to come," he said quietly, "All I'm asking is that you give me the chance to explain."

"This…this is crazy," Janneke said, but it didn't sound like she really meant it.

"You know it's not," he said, "You want to believe me. That all this is so familiar, but you don't know why. The only thing you know is that you have to find out, have to…understand what these feelings mean…"

She blinked, silent for a moment. She could tell by the way he said it, that was how _he_ felt. But, strange enough, this was familiar. He was familiar. There was something…she hadn't noticed it the first time they'd met, but the next time, at the Inn. There was just something…off. Was that even the right word? She started to shake her head, but then stopped. This _was_ crazy; if she felt like she had met him before, why didn't she remember him? Had she met him before the accident? But then…what was with all this cryptic talk, like there was no accident. It didn't make sense. He kept telling her that he could explain, but he offered her nothing, really, to make her believe him. Except for her feelings. Her instincts told her to just get on the train with Faye like she had planned and go to Kalm. But her feelings…they told her to take the chance and trust him. If only it were just herself she would endanger by doing that; she had Faye to think about.

"I'm sorry…I-I can't," she said after another moment. "There's too much I don't know for me to trust you."

"_Mom_," Faye whined.

"Hush," she said to her.

"Soph-" he suddenly stopped himself. "Janneke, don't leave. If you walk away, you will never know."

She started to reply, but another voice cut her off.

"You never quit, do you? She doesn't remember you man, just give it up." The voice was low and seductive, yet cold and rough, broken almost, all at the same time.

Shivers ran down her spine as she whirled, pulling her daughter closer. About ten yards away, there was a figure, shrouded in shadows, leaning against one of the concrete support columns with their arms crossed. Without even realizing it, she took a step back, eyeing the figure warily. Yazoo frowned; something about that voice set off warning bells in his head, but he couldn't really explain why. He noticed how Janneke instantly became uneasy as well.

"Who are you?" Janneke called bravely.

There was a slightly sinister, insane sounding laugh that echoed in the gloom. "You don't remember me? Well, of course _you_ don't," the figure said, "But you, Yazoo, I never thought you could forget me."


	3. Kidnapped

A/N: To delavega: Yesh :) not that he isn't ALWAYS sexy.

Most of these chaps are gonna end all cliffhanger like, lol. And you people are just too smart, lol You'll find out who it is in this chapy.

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**Tainted Rebirth**

**Chapter Three "Kidnapped"**

There was a flash of lightning that illuminated the figure for the briefest of seconds, not long enough for any of them to get a good look. With a sigh, the figure pushed away from the column and uncrossed their arms. As they walked towards the three, the long trench coat they wore slid across the ground with a whisper that was akin to the slithering of a snake, mingled with the eerie clinking of the chains on the bottom. Something was off about their gait, something not quite normal. Not really a limp, nor like a swagger, but closer to the first. Lightning flashed again, followed by a crack of thunder, and the figure could be seen to have shoulder length silver hair.

Janneke drew back another step, thinking that it might be another of the three from earlier, or maybe there were more than three of them.

Yazoo knew who it _wasn't_, but couldn't immediately discern who the figure was exactly. He frowned a little, tensing warily.

The stranger stopped a few yards from them, close enough to be seen now, and his Mako cat's eyes shone briefly in the dark as he tilted his head to the side. His skin was paler than before, almost blue. It was translucent in places and the delicate veins in his neck could be seen. There was a thin scar across his cheek, and Yazoo knew how he had gotten it; _he_ had shot him, nearly a year ago. His hair was shaggy, though still silken, and the locks that always fell forward over his face barely hid the network of faint scars that all branched out from the center of his forehead. And his eyes were a deep red, like from burst blood vessels. His pupils were fixed; dead. He wore the same thing, minus the chain mail shirt. The bottom of his trench coat and the cuffs of both the sleeves and his pants were ragged, torn. Scars criss crossed his chest, down over his stomach. His eyes were dead…and he was dead. So why was he standing before them, here and now?

"Did you miss me, brother?" he asked, pale lips twisting into a cruel smirk as he saw recognition light in Yazoo's eyes.

"Chimera," Yazoo growled. In a second, he had drawn Velvet Nightmare and aimed it over Janneke's shoulder at him, "I am _not_ your brother. You're dead."

Chimera laughed as if this amused him, "Honestly, if I'm dead, how am I standing here before you?" he said, spreading his arms before letting them slowly drop back down to his sides. Something was wrong with his hands, but when he lowered his arms, the cuffs of his coat covered them once more, "Death rejected me. But I suppose, in a way, I am dead." He added in a low growl, "No thanks to _him_."

Janneke remained silent during all this, pulled Faye closer to her side, not understanding what was going on, or who this 'Chimera' person was.

"Are…you still with Shin-Ra?" Yazoo demanded.

"Shin-Ra?" Chimera repeated, "They think I'm fucking dead, they don't care about me any more." For a second, he raised a hand to his neck, were the metal collar had been-it was gone now. "They don't know just what they've done to me…"

"Why are you here now, why didn't you stay where ever you have been all this time?" Yazoo questioned.

"That was too boring. Trouble is so much more exciting, and trouble follows you where ever you go," Chimera replied. "Plus, you're just so much fun to play with."

"There is nothing stopping me from killing you, you know that," Yazoo growled, finger twitching over the trigger, "After everything you've done."

"Like you can kill me _again_," Chimera said with an insane giggle. His tone was serious a second later as he continued, "Try if you want though."

Chimera was the reason that everything was the way it was now. He was the reason they had all nearly died, the reason Loz didn't speak any more, the reason Kadaj's grip on sanity had slipped even further, the reason he himself had spent months in a coma. The reason Sophronica had died, protecting his brothers and all the while trying to figure out how to help him. Chimera had deserved to die, deserved much worse. So why hadn't he stayed that way? And now here he was, just standing there, taunting him. Not like he needed any more of a reason to want to kill him-again, as it was.

His finger tightened on the trigger, and a split second before he fired, Chimera grinned at him, like he knew exactly what he was doing. Chimera dropped to the ground with liquid ease, and the shot missed him by a mile. Still on the ground, he vaulted into a kick that landed both feet square on Janneke's chest. With a shout of surprise, Janneke fell backwards into Yazoo, knocking him off balance, and taking him down with her as she tumbled to the ground. Chimera was suddenly on top of her, hands on her shoulders as he glared down at her with a twisted smile. His added weight assured that Yazoo, beneath Janneke, stayed down for the moment. There was a wet, salty odor to Chimera, like the ocean, and when he spoke his breath was frigid against her skin.

"You're still so beautiful," he whispered, "Too bad you don't remember all the fun we had last time." He trailed one hand down her cheek, and she shivered; his flesh was as cold as marble.

And then he was gone, moving so fast that she barely saw the motion of him rising to his feet in front of them. He clasped one hand around Faye's arm, and the girl gave a cry, struggling. Her resistance was useless though, as Chimera paid no attention to her. Eyes widening, Janneke started to struggle to her feet.

"Let go of her!" she demanded.

"Don't worry; I won't hurt her. For now," Chimera said.

Without another word, he swept Faye up in his arms, continuing to ignore the fact that she was now pounding her small fists against him. He turned, leaped down off the concrete platform, and started down the train tracks.

"Faye!" Janneke shouted.

She was on her feet now and only paused to retrieve her fallen Sias. She headed after Chimera, not bothering to wait for Yazoo. She leaped over the edge of the platform, landing a little awkwardly and nearly twisting her ankle. After she regained her balance, she took off running again. A sudden flash of movement caught her attention and she turned her head. It was Yazoo, landing gracefully from his leap and joining her in the chase. Some how, even though he was burdened with carrying Faye, Chimera was getting further and further ahead of them. He glanced back over his shoulder at them just before leaping straight up, back onto street level, and vanishing.

"Faye!" she shouted again, nearly screamed her name.

They reached the spot where Chimera had left the tracks, but he was no where in sight, though it wouldn't be all that hard to hide in this down pour. Janneke stumbled to a halt, trying to catch her breath.

"It's impossible," she said, "How could he just vanish like that?" she scanned the surrounding area again, but once more didn't see him.

"He's capable of a lot more than just that," Yazoo said.

She turned her attention to him. "You know him, don't you?" she questioned angrily, "Why did he take my daughter, what interest would he have in her…why?" she tried to blink back her tears, but they fell any way, mingling with the rain water running down her face.

"I…don't know why he would take her," he admitted.

"You didn't answer my first question," Janneke said, all patience aside.

"Yes. I suppose you could say I knew him," Yazoo said.

"If my daughter has gotten dragged into some old feud or some shit like that, I will hold you personally responsible," she said through gritted teeth.

"If there is any reason behind why he took her, it is probably also because of you. Who you used to be," he said.

She merely glared at him for a moment, contemplating what he said. Angry and frustrated, she whirled and kicked at the concrete divider, almost slipping in a puddle of rain water. Sliding the prongs of her Sias into loops on her skirt at either hip, she ran both hands through her wet hair, pushing it back from her face. Her immediate urge was to continue chasing after the bastard who had taken her daughter, but a rational part of her mind told her that the odds of finding him at night in the city in the middle of a storm were slim. With a growl, she spun around to face him again.

"If I trust you…" she started warily, angrily, "You'll help me get her back? You'll tell me why this freak has targeted me-us?"

For a minute, he seemed as though he couldn't believe her, then he blinked. "Yes," he said with a nod.

"You swear it?" she insisted, the craze of an upset mother reflecting in her eyes, the need to find her child.

"I swear," he said.

Something about the way he said it, or maybe it was the expression in his eyes, told her that for now she could believe him.

"And if you lie to me…" she let the threat hang, but it was an empty threat mostly, brought on by the urge to find her daughter and make sure she was safe.

"I know," was all he said, quietly.

"Let's go then," Janneke said, "Where ever it is, just so long as we find her. Safe. You know more about this guy than I do."

With a nod, he turned. Shivering, she followed him back to the covered train station. She paused beside her duffle bag to pull out her leather jacket and shrug into it before zipping up the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. As they walked, she quickened her pace to match his, or maybe he slowed down a little for her, so that they were walking side by side. They had to leave the cover of the station again, but at least she was a little warmer now. She was glad she didn't have anything more with her than the one bag, because when they came around a corner, she saw his motorcycle, and wondered how she could have forgotten his mode of transportation.

"You've got to be kidding," she muttered to herself.

Yazoo looked over at her. "You want to find her, do you not?" he said. Apparently she'd spoken loud enough for him to hear as well.

Making a sound that was both a growl and a sigh, she didn't reply, keeping silent. He was right, of course. She shouldn't complain. For now. He took her bag from her, securing it with some grumble about women and luggage. She ignored him, resisting the urge to hit him, that they had more important matters at hand. Finishing this task, he swung one leg over the bike and started the engine. He turned his gaze to her to find her still standing there, watching him warily. After a second, she slid on behind him, shaking rain water out of her eyes, and encircled her arms around his waist.

If she had thought she was wet and cold before, the rain and the wind on the trip to…where ever they were going, was even worse. Halfway across the Midgar Plains, a bolt of lightning streaked down out of the sky and struck the large boulder only a couple yards off to their left. Janneke yelped in surprise and hugged him tighter, lowering her head to his back. She wondered again why she had agreed to trust him, but knew that it was only for Faye. That bastard who had taken her…Yazoo knew him. But then a thought occurred to her; what about his 'brothers'? The one who had almost killed her, and the silent one; would they be so willing to help her too? This thought made her uneasy, but she told herself yet again that she had to do this-for Faye.

----------------------

Faye sat in the corner, watching Chimera pace the dark room. Lightning flashed through the windows and wind whistled through the cracks in the glass, chilling her. It wouldn't have been so bad, since she had a jacket on, if she hadn't been soaking wet. There was a particularly loud crack of thunder and she shivered.

"I'm not afraid of you," she said.

Chimera stopped pacing and turned to her. "Is that so?" he said, "You should be." He strode towards her, crouching in front of her, "Do you know who I am, girl?"

"You're Chimera," she replied, shrinking back into the corner a little more.

"I'm more than that now," he said, "I cannot die; I am forever."

"_He_ can still stop you," Faye said bravely.

"What? Who?" he said with a growl.

"Y-Yazoo," she clarified, her bravery wavering a little under his glare.

"Him?" Chimera snorted, standing again, "He's a broken warrior; he can't stop me."

"You underestimate him," she said.

"Do I?" he said, turning back to her, "And how does a little girl know such a big word?" his tone was slightly mocking.

She lifted her chin, "I know a lot more than you think."

"Sure," he said with a small laugh, "Like what exactly?" He walked closer to one of the windows, gazing out at the storm.

She was quiet, unsure.

"Well?" he prodded, stopping in front of the window. "Don't leave me in suspense, that's not polite." He made it sound like they were two friends having a casual conversation.

"…His brother stopped you last time, and _he_ will stop you this time," Faye said, "It makes you angry that some one's more stronger than you."

He whirled, "_I_ was supposed to be the best, _I_ was the first, there…" he suddenly stopped. He tilted his head to the side as he narrowed his eyes. "How did you…?"

"I told you that I-" she started.

"Shut up!" Chimera snapped, "What do you know; you're just a little girl." He turned back to the window.

She was silent for a long moment, scooting back into the corner even further if it was possible.

"He told you that, didn't he?" he said, his gaze on the black sky.

She didn't answer him. "You won't be ready when he comes to stop you," she said instead.

"You underestimate me now girl," he said with a bit of a humorless smirk. Let them try and stop him; he was nothing like he used to be. They wouldn't know what hit them.

----------------------

They were both utterly drenched by the time they reached their destination; the Forgotten Capital, in the Sleeping Forest. Janneke had never been to the Forest before, and so the pearly white trees were a new sight to her. The bare branches did little to slow the rain though. She had never seen the Capital either, and her first impression was a giant conch shell. After leaving his motorcycle beside his brothers', Yazoo led Janneke around the spring and into the Capital. Shivering, she followed him down the hall, her duffle bag over one shoulder. A pair of ornately carved doors that stood slightly open caught her attention, and she couldn't resist stopping to peer into the room beyond. A long room, with an alter at the opposite end, the walls there lined with candles in sweeping brackets.

She laid a hand on the door, and suddenly froze, her eyes glazing over for a moment. Images flashed through her head. Bloody footprints mixed with rain water leading up to the alter, a figure kneeling in front of it, another lying on top, unmoving. It was storming, just as it was now, and the only illumination came from the lightning. Than, just as suddenly, Yazoo's hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She blinked, the glazed look leaving her eyes as she looked over at him. Silently, he pulled the doors closed, and she knew for certain now there was something about that room.

"This way," he said simply, continuing down the hall to another doorway.

After a second, she followed him once more, her gaze drawn back to the double doors as she fully passed them.

"Yazoo?" she heard a voice start.

As she came around the corner into the other room as well, she saw that the speaker was the silver haired youth who'd nearly killed her just earlier that day.

"Where have you…" he stopped when he saw her, his eyes narrowing a little. "What is she doing here?"

"_He's_ back, he took the girl-her daughter," Yazoo replied.

"Him?" his brother repeated, not understanding what he meant.

"_Chimera_," he growled, his eyes flashing.

"But that's…that's impossible!" Kadaj said, clearly shocked.

"Apparently not for _him_," Yazoo said.

"You're…sure it was him?" Kadaj inquired, not wanting to believe that it was true. He knew Chimera was dead! He, himself had killed him.

"Positive," Yazoo said. There was no doubt that it had been Chimera, none at all.

For a moment, Kadaj was silent, turning his eyes to the floor. "What does he want?" he murmured, seeming to be talking to himself, but he looked back up at his brother.

"What do you think?" Yazoo said, his gaze shifting to Janneke, to Loz, and than back to his younger brother.

Kadaj understood what he meant, "We will stop him again; he won't destroy our family," he said.

"But he's _dead_," Yazoo said, shaking his head slowly, "I don't know how he is here, but he's _dead_…if you saw his eyes…"

Janneke gazed from one of them to the other, a chill running down her spine. Or maybe it was just rainwater. She pushed her hair back from her eyes. "I hope you actually are planning on explaining all this cryptic crap and who the hell Chimera is to me," she said, trying to sound irritated, though she was more just worried.

Yazoo looked over at her, "Of course," he said. He turned and started towards the spiraling staircase that led to one of the towers, beckoning her to follow him.

Kadaj stopped him when he passed though, "Be careful of how much you tell her…and how quickly," he said quietly, so Janneke couldn't hear.

"I know," His brother replied, just as quietly.

Janneke followed him silently up the stairs, which evened out at the top to a small hallway, and two doors. He led her through the door at the end, which turned out to be a bedroom in the shape of a half circle, with a window facing the front of the Capital and looking out over the forest.

"You can stay here until…" he didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't have to; she understood what he meant.

"Thanks," she said quietly, before setting her dripping bag down on the floor and turning back to him. "Now; you promised to explain."

"I did," Yazoo said, walking over to the window.

She turned again to keep him in view, waiting for him to continue.

"It's not…going to be simple," he said.

"I'll do my best to understand," she said, "But I have to know how what's happening now relates to what happened before the…accident."

He looked out the window for a moment more before turning back to her. He met her gaze, and something in his eyes caught and held her attention completely. A hauntingly sad expression, with a little bit of uneasiness, and…longing. She found herself unable to blink, to look away until he did. Then she blinked, swaying a little as though she'd just woken up.

"Maybe you should sit down," he said quietly, voice as smooth as velvet.


	4. You Can't Kill Me

A/N: OMG yes! I thought I was the only one that in love with Yazoo! I watch the movie over and over just to watch him move, or listen to him talk. Nearly everyone else I know thinks I'm insane for that, lol. And yeah, Chimera kind of IS a zombie.

--------------------------------------------

**Tainted Rebirth**

**Chapter Four "You Can't Kill Me"**

"You used to work for Shin-Ra. As part of SOLDIER," Yazoo said.

Janneke silently watched him from where she sat with her back to the corner, a puddle of rainwater forming around her. He sat near the other side of the room, back against the dresser. He alternated his attention between her and the window as he spoke. She didn't remember anything he was talking about, but that was obviously why he was telling her all this.

"But…" he continued, "There was an accident involving your brother, and you quit." He wasn't telling her everything, not yet; he didn't know how she'd react or how much she'd believe. And until then, he would continue with his 'edited' version of what had happened.

"My…brother?" Janneke repeated in disbelief.

He nodded, not saying anything.

"I can't believe…I don't remember that," she said, lowering her eyes to the floor. How did she really even know that he was telling her the truth? But just as reasonably; what reason would he have to lie to her?

"I'm not surprised," he said softly.

She lifted her gaze to him again, shaking her head a little. "Continue," she said, wrapping her arms around one leg and resting her chin on her knee.

"It was after that, we met you," Yazoo said. He paused, looking away for a moment. How to say this. "It wasn't an accident that killed your brother."

"What? He was…murdered?" She said in puzzlement. None of this was familiar to her, so it was hard for her to be more upset about this news.

"By Shin-Ra," he said, looking back to her.

"Shin-Ra?" she repeated in surprise, "But…" she trailed off, thinking that Shin-Ra was helping rebuild the city. Why would they…? What reason would they have to murder some one? And Reno…he worked for Shin-Ra…

Yazoo spoke again after a moment, "We helped you try to get revenge on Shin-Ra, but they stopped us," he said quietly.

"Chimera?" she guessed, at least being able to figure that out.

He nodded, "They sent him to kill us. And he very nearly did, but we stopped him. Or so we thought." He turned his gaze to the window again.

"But…" Janneke said, considering all of this, "That doesn't explain everything. How is he…so super human? Why would Shin-Ra try so hard to kill us?" None of this seemed to explain what was happening now; it only brought on more questions without answering her first ones.

He didn't reply, just bowed his head and remained silent.

"There's more you're not telling me, isn't there?" she said.

"I don't know if I should…" Yazoo said so quietly that she barely heard him.

"Why not?" she demanded. She had to know whatever had happened, whatever had dragged her and Faye into this mess.

He raised his head, "It's not…I shouldn't…tell you everything at once. You might not even believe me," he said.

"We don't have time to wait around or anything," Janneke pointed out, becoming frustrated, but trying to keep her voice calm, "Besides, if you're telling the truth, you shouldn't have to worry about me not believing you." Well, it was true, right? If he wasn't lying to her, what worries should he have? It was her who was supposed to be worried.

He stood, turning his back to her as he went over to the window, gazing out into the depths of the stormy night. "Fine," he sighed. He was silent for a moment. He knew this was not going to go over easy; she was not going to want to accept everything that had happened, the whole truth. "You did not just work for Shin-Ra; you were created by Shin-Ra. And your brother…Sephiroth."

She just blinked for a second, "Created…?" she repeated faintly, "Brother…Sephiroth…?" She was utterly stunned. What exactly did he mean, 'created'? And how could…Sephiroth…be her brother? She'd heard of him, of course, knew who he was. They called him The Nightmare. She shook her head, unable to speak for a moment. "But that's…that's…" she started to say 'impossible,' but he turned back to her, and when she saw his expression she didn't.

"When you found out, you sought revenge," he continued, not letting her say anything more, which was probably for the best. "I'm not sure exactly what happened, but you had told me there was an accident, and you lost your memory."

Janneke frowned a little; that sounded like what had happened now. She started to comment on this, but then decided against it and kept silent.

"You lived in Edge for awhile until we found you," Yazoo turned back to the window again, "Kadaj 'awakened' you, restored your memory, and joined us in our search for Mother; Jenova. If we found her, your brother could be brought back. But it didn't end that way; Shin-Ra stopped us."

He paused, but she didn't have anything to say, couldn't think of anything, with all this information raging through her mind, confusing her, and waited in silence for him to continue.

"We…" he started, but suddenly stopped. He had almost said '_we were in love'_. He shook his head; no, he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her that now. No, he wouldn't. "We," he started again, "Left here. We were willing to forget Shin-Ra but they weren't willing to let us go."

"The Jenova Incident," she whispered.

"Is that what they call it?" he said, looking over at her for a moment, "Shin-Ra sent Chimera to stop us. They created him as well, the perfect SOLDIER…and, you know the rest." He was tired of talking, tired of explaining everything that she had been witness to, everything that he'd been trying but failing to forget.

There was a long moment of silence, during which she tried to make sense of all of this. It all sounded…so…unreal. She didn't remember any of this at all. Shin-Ra had created her? She'd been part of SOLDIER? Her brother was none other than Sephiroth? None of it…none of it sounded like it had happened to her. She didn't feel like it had happened to her, anyway. And what was the reason that Chimera was after them, after her in particular? He wanted revenge? She shook her head slowly, raising a hand to her temple. She was getting a headache trying to understand all of this.

"But…why don't I remember any of this?" Janneke asked softly at last.

He was silent for a long time. "I…don't want you to remember the reason," he said.

"I have to know! If it relates to what's happening now," she insisted.

"Trust me…you wouldn't believe me. And if you did…you would wish you didn't," Yazoo said.

She got to her feet, feeling a little dizzy, and gazed at him as he continued to look out the window. She didn't speak, waiting to see if maybe he changed his mind. He didn't. She sighed.

"You should get some rest, for tomorrow," he said, finally turning back to her.

"After all of that? I can't sleep," she replied, "And finding Faye is more important."

"We cannot do anything in this storm," he pointed out.

Her gaze flickered to the window, and outside, lightning briefly illuminated the trees. She knew he was right…she just…wished he wasn't. "It's really…all true?" she whispered, retuning her gaze to him.

"Rest," he said, "At least try." He started for the door.

She turned. "Yazoo?"

He stopped, one hand on the doorknob, but didn't turn.

"I think…I believe you," she said.

He half looked back at her over his shoulder, then nodded, leaving the room. She watched him leave until the door closed with a soft click. Then she sighed, running a hand through her still wet hair. She pulled her jacket tighter around her, gazing around the room. It somehow seemed colder now that he had left. The candles lining the top of the dresser still flickered, throwing shadows across the circular walls, but it was still cold. Blinking back sudden and unbidden tears, she turned away from the window and went over to the bed. Lying down on top of it, she drew her knees up to her chest, curling up, and tucked her chin it. She didn't know how she managed to eventually fall asleep, but she did. It was a fitful sleep, and she dreamed.

_'She was in a building somewhere in Edge, gazing out a broken window at the storm, just like she had before. She didn't know where exactly she was, but it was dark, and abandoned. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't alone either. She could stand to be here with him, in this dark emptiness. Just so long as he stayed. Lightning flashed outside the window, and it lit up only blackness; there was no city beyond the walls of this building. She raised a hand to the glass, and it was cold beneath her touch. When she removed her hand, her body heat left an imprint on the pane. It faded after a moment. _

_Lightning flashed again, and she could see the reflection of a figure standing behind her. She wasn't startled; she had known he was there. Pale hands slid around her waist, traveling up her stomach. She leaned back against him, closing her eyes. Suddenly he pulled his hands from her and spun her around. Her eyes remain closed as he tilted her head up, kissed her. His silken hair swept her face, and she let him place a hand on her chin to force her mouth open. He deepened the kiss, like he was going to devour her, and his tongue invaded her mouth, touching hers. His teeth were sharp when he nipped her lip, and she could tell he drew blood because the coppery tang suddenly filled her mouth. _

_Raising her hands to stop him for a moment, she opened her eyes. She gave a cry of surprise and horror; it wasn't…who she had imagined it, it was…Chimera. She tried to pull away, but he held her against him with strong arms. He lowered his head again, and she turned her face away. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him as he licked the blood from her lip. She raised her hands to try to push him away, to claw at his face, anything, but he slid his cold fingers around her wrists._

"_Don't fight it beautiful," he said, and his eyes flashed a deep red.'_

"NO!" Janneke sat bolt upright. Her own scream had awakened her. Trembling, heart racing, her gaze darted around the room, ensuring that she was safe, that she was alone. Now the bastard was even in her dreams?

In a building somewhere in Edge, Chimera smirked in his sleep.

----------------------------

"How are we going to find him?" Janneke asked.

It was morning and it had finally stopped storming. Gray clouds still dotted the sky, but other than that, it was clear. Droplets dripped from the bare white branches of the trees and the spirals of the Capital. She hadn't gotten much sleep after her 'dream' last night, of which she hadn't told them about. Of course she'd awaken them with her scream, but she'd just said it was a nightmare, and neither Yazoo nor Kadaj had asked any more questions. Now the four of them were in the main room of the Capital-the one beside the alter room that had captured her interest. There was something so familiar about this scene, almost like she had been here with them before. Maybe she had; would she remember it?

"He could be anywhere in Edge," she added when silence greeted her question.

"He won't hide for long; he will want us to find him," Kadaj said.

"Are…you sure about that?" she said after a moment. She was still a little wary around him.

"Fairly," he replied, looking over at her.

"How 'bout I just save you the trouble of all that worrying?"

The four of them whirled at the sound of his familiar, seductive voice.

"Chimera," Kadaj growled after a moment of surprise.

"Where's Faye you bastard?" Janneke demanded.

Chimera continued to stand in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the frame. "Don't fret, she's safe," he responded with a little smirk.

"What do you want, Chimera?" Yazoo asked, surprisingly seeming to be the calmest.

Chimera's blood red eyes flickered to the younger man. "All I wanted to start with was freedom," he said lowly, "But you ruined that for me. The Lifestream wouldn't even grant me my desire." His gaze shifted briefly to Kadaj. "Now, my desire is very simple. I want her." He lifted an arm to point at Janneke.

She blinked in surprise. Why did he want _her_?

"You're not getting her," Yazoo said, a bit of a growl to his voice now, as he stood in front of Janneke.

"Too bad," Chimera said with a sigh, "I didn't think you'd give her up willingly. Considering." He pushed away from the door frame, uncrossing his arms. "I'll just have to take her than."

"No you won't," Kadaj said, stepping up beside Yazoo and drawing Souba.

"Too bad," Chimera repeated, "That's you decision. Looks like I'll have to put an end to this happy family again."

He raised both arms and with an odd shimmering ripple, like water, they stretched out, shot forward to grab both Yazoo and Kadaj by the neck. Smirking at their shocked expressions, he lifted both warriors off their feet. Janneke stumbled back a few steps with a gasp, her eyes widening. How was…that possible?

"It was a side effect, I guess, of being a shape shifter." Chimera said, "When you dumped me in the ocean, thinking I was dead, the ocean became part of me."

And that had been what was wrong with his hands; they were pale, shimmering almost as if they really didn't exist. Like water.

"It's both a gift and a curse," he continued with a shrug.

A bullet ripping through his shoulder caused him to falter and silenced whatever further comment he'd been about to make. His gaze shifted to Loz, who stood a few feet from his brothers, Velvet Nightmare leveled at him. With a growl of annoyance, Chimera threw Yazoo into his older brother, and the two of them tumbled to the ground. His arm returned to his side as he started to walk a bit towards Kadaj, who was struggling with his feet dangling above the ground.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep," Chimera said to him, "The only thing you can bring is destruction; that's what you were made for." And then he threw the youngest brother against the wall.

Kadaj hit the wall hard, falling to the floor in a heap, Souba clattering at his side.

Chimera turned his attention to Janneke, who stood alone now, and was glaring at him fiercely, "Well now, beautiful," he started.

"Don't call me that, you son-of-a-" Janneke shot back angrily, freeing her Sias from the loops at her hips.

"Manners, beautiful," Chimera interrupted her, walking towards her.

"You're one to talk about manners," she said. She reversed her grip on one of her Sias and threw it at him, aiming for his head.

Swift as lightning, he caught the weapon with one hand. "That wasn't nice," he said, shaking his head. Suddenly he whirled, throwing the Sia towards Yazoo, who had gotten to his feet and drawn Velvet Nightmare.

Yazoo managed to deflect the weapon with the double barrels of his gun, and the Sia spun across the room to clatter to the floor.

Chimera started towards him as there was the sound of metal scraping stone behind him and a voice spoke.

"You're wrong."

He stopped and turned, watching Kadaj climb to his feet.

"I wasn't 'made' for destruction; I have a will of my own. Unlike you," the youngest brother said, regret and anger burning in his eyes.

"How would you know? You're just a remnant," Chimera said harshly, "You all are; remnants of those who _knew_. Now you're just falling apart." There was a kind of animalistic rage glinting in his eyes that made him seem even more demented.

Than he was crying out in surprise, and possibly pain, as Janneke's other Sia pierced through the side of his chest, near his shoulder. He stumbled back a step, looking first down at the weapon, with the sharp middle prong buried deep in his flesh, to the owner of the weapon. Janneke was striding towards him, her demeanor completely changed. She wrapped a hand around the handle of her weapon and pushed it in deeper, forcing him to take another step back, against the wall. At that moment, he could see Sophronica in her eyes, the power and commanding she had once had.

"You need to shut the fuck up and tell me where my daughter is," she snapped.

"How can I tell you if you want me to shut up?" he replied, wincing a little as he smirked.

She drove her Sia deeper, twisting it a little, "If you don't tell me, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? You can't kill me, than you'll never know where she is," Chimera said tauntingly.

She ground her teeth together, glaring at him. Something about what he'd been saying, his comments about remnants, had caused her cool reserve to snap. And the fact that he was now irritatingly right.

"We can make you tell us where she is," Yazoo said.

The way he said it caused her to freeze, though Chimera didn't seem very bothered, though she thought he should. She turned her head a little to look back over her shoulder at Yazoo, and that was when Chimera moved. He raised a hand to wrap around hers and pulled her Sia from his flesh. In one swift movement, he spun her around, keeping her hand under his on the weapon, and wrapped his other arm around her waist, grapping her other wrist. She could feel the tip of the middle prong of her weapon against the underside of her chin and froze. For a second, she barely dared to breathe.

"See, I told you I would take her," Chimera said with a sly smirk.

Kadaj started towards them, but Chimera pushed the weapon tip harder against Janneke's skin, forcing her head back more and drawing a trickle of blood. "I wouldn't do that," he cautioned Kadaj, "I will kill her if I have to."

"Let her go Chimera," Yazoo commanded.

Janneke turned a suddenly scared gaze to him to see him aiming Velvet Nightmare at Chimera's head.

Chimera merely smirked at him. "Which of us do you think is faster?" he taunted, "Can you pull that trigger faster than I can drive this into her brain?" he put a little more force on the weapon, the sharp tip quickening the trickle of blood running down her neck. "Shall we find out?" He pushed it a little harder, and she let out a soft whimper. "I don't think she wants you to take that risk," he added with another demented smirk.

Janneke closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted Yazoo to take the shot, and yet at the same time she didn't. When she opened her eyes, he was gazing back at her. And for just a moment, she saw the anger in his eyes fade to sorrow, regret. Just for a second, than the anger was back as his aim wavered, as he slowly lowered Velvet Nightmare to his side.

"That's what I thought," Chimera said smugly.

His gaze shifted then first to Kadaj, then Loz, assuring that they weren't trying anything. He pulled back on her Sia a little, so that the tip was merely resting lightly against her throat. He started for the door, forcing her with him of course. She wanted to scream at him, wanted to struggle, but she was afraid to; afraid that it would cause the tip of her weapon to bit into her flesh again, or it would trigger his rage again.

"I'll find you. I promise."

She turned her eyes to Yazoo. He'd spoken so softly that she thought she'd imagined it at first. But looking at him, she realized that she hadn't. She couldn't respond, even though she wanted to. Chimera pulled her through the doorway, down the hallway, and suddenly lowered her Sia, pulling it from her hand and throwing it aside. She started to turn a glare to him, but he hit her in the side of the head, and blackness swallowed her.


	5. Finally Over

A/N: OMG, so sorry it took me sooo long to update. I was waiting till I had the chance to actually watch AC in Japanese (yes, guilty of having watched it ten times and all in English, lol). I have to agree, so maybe we both are mildly insane, nothing wrong with that. I heard Yazoo speak, and I swear I nearly fell off my bed. I was just thinking 'oooo'. And than they make you wait half the movie to hear him talk again .

Ok, so here's the next chapter, it's a little kinky….and not on Yazoo's part…you'll just have to see. : )

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**Tainted Rebirth**

**Chapter Five "Finally Over"**

It took Janneke a few minutes to realize that she was awake. With a soft moan, she turned her head to the side, which resulted in pain flaring through her throat and the side of her head. She winced, forcing her eyes open. Everything was dark, even though she was fairly sure it was still day. She struggled to sit up, and when she did she felt dizzy. Where was she? What had happened? Oh, that's right, Chimera had knocked her out. Where was that bastard? Looking around, she saw that she was in a large room, with debris scattered near the walls, and all the windows were all boarded up. For a second, she watched dust motes dance across the thin, weak shafts of sunlight that filtered in between the boards.

"Sorry about having to knock you out."

She flinched at the sound of his voice, looking over. Chimera was crouched beside her, and he most certainly had not been there just a second ago. She slid away from him a little. "I bet you are," she muttered, raising a hand to her neck where there was still a trickle of blood, sticky as it was drying.

"Fine; don't believe me," he said quietly, not sounding upset about her reaction. Gazing at her, he tilted his head to the side. "This would have been easier if they weren't so protective of you."

"Where's my daughter?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"You never stop worrying about her, do you?" Chimera said, trying and failing to shake his silver hair back from his eyes.

"Where's Faye you bastard," Janneke said through gritted teeth.

In the blink of an eye, he had slapped her.

Her head rocked back, and pain needled across her face where her cheek had split. Surprised, she raised a hand to her face.

"I could've have just killed you, you know," he said in a low tone, glaring at her.

"Than why haven't you?" she shot back boldly, narrowing her eyes.

"I never wanted to, beautiful," he said, "Even when you stabbed me-the first time."

"Third time's the charm," she said dryly, "Wanna see what happens?" She lowered her hand back to her side.

He slapped her again, and this time she could taste a metallic tang in her mouth.

"For that, maybe I'll still have you watch him die," Chimera threatened. "You don't remember him, but still…"

Silent, she returned his glare.

"You're fucking crazy," she said after a long moment.

He lifted his hand again and she flinched a little, expecting to be hit. But he didn't. He caressed the side of her face, touch soft, and cold. "But so were you," he said.

He slid his hand to the back of her head, stopping her attempt to turn away from him. He lowered his face to hers, nipping her earlobe. She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. He moved lower, nipping her neck before running his tongue over the wound on her throat, causing her to shiver involuntarily. Her hands clenched into fists, and she fought the urge to hit him. But when he placed a hand on her thigh, she flinched, and before she even realized it, brought one fist up. He caught her wrist though, pulling back from her to look her in the eye.

"Don't touch me," she growled, striking out with her other hand.

Again, he stopped her, and now held both her wrists together in one hand. "Don't fight, it's easier if you don't," Chimera said quietly.

In a second, a seamless chain was wrapped around her wrists, imprisoning her hands. She started to struggle, but he caught her off guard by pushing her back. Her head lightly hit the concrete floor and for a second she lay there blinking at him.

"I won't hurt you-unless you want me to," he said with a sly smirk.

"I want you to give me back my daughter," she snapped, starting to sit up.

Pushing her back down again, he suddenly sat astride her hips, his knees against her sides.

Her heart leapt into her throat with sudden fear, but she hoped it was only anger that showed in her eyes.

"Enough about the girl," Chimera purred softly in a tone that she would have found sexy from any other guy but him, "Do you even _know_ who her father is?"

The question caught her off guard, and she blinked in surprise. No; she didn't, but how could he have possibly known that?

"I thought so," he continued, "Now be quiet."

She tried to shove him away even though her hands were tied together, but he just pushed her arms over her head, running his cold fingers down the sensitive insides of her arms as he brought his hands back down. Lowering his face to her neck, he ran his tongue over the wound there again, cleaning off the blood the way a cat would, and she shuddered a little. When his fingers creeped to the zipper on her vest, she suddenly reacted, bringing her hands forward and hitting him on the back. For this blow she was rewarded with a glare.

"Must you be so difficult, as always?" he growled. He pushed her hands back up over her head, with a simple flick of his wrist melding the chain around her wrists to the floor. Being a shape shifter paid off.

"If you…I swear I'll kick your fucking ass before I kill you," Janneke threatened.

"How do you know you won't like it?" he said with a smirk.

She started to protest again, but he covered her lips with his, silencing her. She refused to kiss him back, but that didn't stop him. With a light hand on her chin, he forced her mouth open, but when she felt his tongue enter she tried to turn her head to the side. He tightened his hold on her chin, not letting her. After a moment, he drew back, letting his hand slid from her face, and she immediately turned her head to the side.

"There's so much I want to do to you," he whispered, lips against her ear, "But I don't want you to hate me."

"I already…hate you," she said as he nuzzled the side of her neck. He was having a peculiar effect on her, and she couldn't see straight. Closing her eyes, she didn't try to fight back the anger that flooded through her.

"I keep telling you she's fine," he said, guessing that she felt this way because of Faye, "I haven't hurt her." He kissed the hollow of her throat, and she fought back another shiver.

"Why should I believe…anything you say?" she demanded, but her voice was soft. She tugged at the restraints around her wrists, but couldn't budge them.

He didn't respond, and she felt his fingers once more on the zipper of her vest. She struggled a little, as much as she could, and surprisingly he let the zipper slid from his fingers as he moved his hands lower, to her hips. Across her stomach, fingers curling over the hem of her skirt and shorts. She struggled again, pulling at the chain around her wrists again. For a moment, his fingers continued to seek lower, shockingly cold, but then he stopped. He resumed nuzzling her neck, sliding one thumb over her throat, to pause over the wound he'd given her earlier. All of a sudden he sat up, his gaze focused on the door. Even though she couldn't hear anything, she realized that he must.

"Seems like he kept his promise," Chimera said with a soft growl, turning his gaze back to her. "Too bad." In one swift movement he tugged the zipper on her vest half way down, and when she opened her mouth to speak, he silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Hush," he said.

Half rising, he forced her legs apart with one knee, than manifested chains around her ankles as well, melding them to the floor. He pushed her skirt up, undid the first button on her pants, and that's all he did. Utterly confused, angry, and scared, she watched him stand beside her, looking down at her for one last time before turning. After a second, she understood what he had done; made it _look_ like he'd taken advantage of her, but she didn't understand why. Blinking, she turned her head, gazing around the room. Where had he gone? Suddenly, the door burst open and she flinched, turning her attention in that direction. In the gloom, the first one she saw come through the door was Yazoo. She saw him stop when he noticed her, and even though she couldn't see his expression, she could guess.

"Sophronica!"

She had finally come to realize that must have been her _other_ name, even though it didn't ring any bells.

"She's not yours anymore _brother_," Chimera drawled sarcastically, from somewhere in the shadows that she couldn't see.

But Yazoo saw him. "Fucking son of a bitch!" he snarled, raising Velvet Nightmare to open fire at Chimera.

Chimera seemed to have anticipated this though, and was already in motion, running to the side. A long sword materialized in his hand as he went, and some how it seemed oddly familiar to Janneke. When Chimera was close enough to him, he swung his newly acquired sword. Yazoo ducked, dealing Chimera a swift kick to the side that caused him to stumble. Regaining his balance, Chimera raised his sword to block a blow from Yazoo's Velvet Nightmare.

"You're so much more fun when you're pissed off," Chimera said, spinning to the side.

Yazoo growled in response, and if looks could kill, Chimera would have been dead twice over from the glare he gave him.

Chimera swung his sword around in an arch, but Yazoo merely leaned back to avoid the blow, raising Velvet Nightmare to fire at his opponent. Chimera spun to the side again, dodging some of the bullets, deflecting them with the sword blade, and almost completely ignoring the ones that did hit him. As his sword vanished back into the nothingness it had come from, he leapt into a snap kick. Dodging below the attack, Yazoo moved forward, driving an elbow into Chimera's back as he came back down. Chimera stumbled, but started to turn anyway, and Yazoo dealt him a punch to the back of the neck that sent him down. Chimera wasn't as disorientated as he pretended to be, and whipped a leg out that knocked Yazoo's feet out from under him.

Chimera rose swiftly, oddly allowing his opponent the time to stand as well before attacking again. But this time his flesh rippled, one arm stretched out, and he snatched Velvet Nightmare from Yazoo's grip. He tossed the weapon aside before advancing towards him again. He threw a punch that Yazoo evaded, but then Chimera spun into a roundhouse kick that sent him flying across the room to hit a boarded up window, the wood splintering as he slid to the floor. Chimera closed the gap in between them in a second. Tilting his head to the side, he gazed down at his fallen foe with blood red eyes. He realized too late that there was a reason Yazoo wasn't making any attempt to get to his feet, and spun, bringing his arm up instinctively.

The double blades of Kadaj's sword had already cut halfway through Chimera's upraised arm by the time he lifted his other hand to try to stop the blow, grabbing the blades. He was in an awkward position though, and failed to stop the swing from continuing through, resulting in his loosing half his arm and nearly loosing his other hand. He brought his bloody palm to the bloody stump of his fore arm, stumbling from the blow. His blood wasn't normal though; in the gloom it appeared blue-black, and his severed limb hit the floor with the splash of water. He turned a pained glare to Kadaj.

"That hurts, bitch," Chimera growled, lowering his hand from his arm. He tried to manifest the sword he'd had just moments before, but it refused to become solid, and he was struck with a sudden needle of unease.

"Good," Kadaj said darkly, "And I'm not your bitch."

He swung Souba around and Chimera ducked, ready to retaliate with an open palm to Kadaj's throat in the attempt to break his neck. But the blow never landed. Chimera didn't expect the return swing, and by the time he realized what was about to happen, it was too late, as before. The double blades cut cleanly through his neck, and even before his body hit the floor, it was beginning to disintegrate into water.

"Stay dead this time," Kadaj said, lowering his sword to his side.

The chains around Janneke's wrists and ankles had also disintegrated into water, but she didn't realize that until Yazoo was beside her, pulling her up into his arms.

"I'm so sorry I didn't find you sooner," he said softly.

She welcomed his embrace, taking comfort in him and also not trusting her weak shaky legs. "He-" she started.

"It's alright now," he interrupted gently, holding her tighter.

No. He had to understand; she felt it important that he did. "He didn't…he _didn't_," her voice came out a whisper, and she suddenly found tears pricking her eyes.

She couldn't tell if he understood, but she thought he did.

"It's alright," he repeated, just as softly as before.

She didn't know who he was assuring this time; her or himself. She fought to keep her tears at bay, but she wasn't strong enough, she was just so _exhausted_. "F-Faye?" she demanded as loudly as she could, which ended up being just above a strangled whisper.

"She's alright," Yazoo told her.

Relief flooded through her, and she felt her legs start to buckle. The next moment he'd slid an arm behind her knees and swept her up off her feet. Allowing her eyes to close, she turned her head to the side until her forehead rested against his chest. The calm silence of sleep cascaded over her.

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Janneke awoke in the Forgotten Capital. For a moment, she continued to lay there with her eyes closed, not having the will to move. But than she remembered Faye, and forced herself to sit up. Looking over, she saw the girl curled up on the bed next to her-asleep, and unharmed. She didn't remain asleep for long though; Janneke's movement must have awoken her. Her bright green eyes fluttered open, revealing pupils starting to elongate into slits.

"Mom!" Faye exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her arms around Janneke's neck.

Janneke winced, but hugged her daughter tightly. "You're alright?" she whispered.

Faye nodded into her shoulder.

"I was so worried about you," Janneke said, tears starting in her eyes again, but happy tears this time, "I'm so glad you're safe."

"I'm glad you're safe too," the girl replied, pulling away to sit next to her.

Janneke turned her gaze to the window, where the last traces of rain dripped down the glass. Outside it was early morning, the sun casting its pale yellow rays across the Forest. Everything was so silent, she wondered if the other three were awake. They probably were, she figured. Returning her attention to her daughter, she put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close again.

"I was so afraid I was going to loose you," Janneke said, "But…_he_…can't hurt you any more."

"I know mom," Faye replied softly.

Janneke forced a small smile that faded quickly. What was she going to do now? What _could_ she do now? Would the three let her and Faye go? Would they make them stay? She did owe a lot to them, but she still didn't completely trust them. Maybe she should go to Kalm for a couple of weeks like she had planned when this had all started. Let everything cool down. Hopefully never have to go through anything like this again. Hopefully…never have to see the three brothers again? Strangely, she felt that if she left…she would miss them. Some how. She gazed over at her daughter.

"How would you feel about taking a vacation for a while?" she asked her after a moment.

Faye shrugged, "It'd be alright…" she replied.

"Just alright?" Janneke said, ruffling her hair a little.

The girl tried to squirm away. "To where?" she inquired curiously, fussily fixing her silver blonde hair.

"I was thinking about us going to Kalm," Janneke said, "We haven't been there in ages." She added.

Faye nodded her head, looking up at her with a faint lopsided smile, "Yeah."

"Good," Janneke said with a small smile of her own, kissing her daughter on the forehead before standing.

Looking over, she saw her Sias on the dresser, and took them, tucking them safely inside her duffle bag, noticing Faye's back pack beside it as she did so. Rising, she turned back to the girl sitting on the bed.

"I want you to wait here, ok, I'll be right back," she said to her.

Faye nodded, "'Kay," she said.

Turning, Janneke left the tower room, walking down the spiraling staircase. Everything was silent but her faintly echoing footsteps as she reached the first floor. The room the stairs led to was empty, and so she went down the hallway, past the closed door to the alter room, to another door that was open. Inside were the three silver haired brothers. For a moment, she hesitated in the doorway, her gaze sweeping over them as Yazoo turned to face her.

"Well…" she started awkwardly. Why was she suddenly so uncomfortable? Was it everything that had happened, or was it that she had their full, undivided attention? "I want to thank you for helping me…and Faye. We owe you all a lot." She paused. "And…there's something else…" she paused again, turning her eyes to the floor.

"Go ahead," Kadaj said after a long moment of silence from where he sat near the corner.

She continued to gaze at the floor. This was going to be hard to word, since she didn't even understand it all. "I know…I can never be. Who I used to be," she said, "The life I used to have isn't mine any more. I think it would be better…if I left."

If she had looked up, she would have seen Yazoo's troubled expression at this, but she didn't.

"So I'm leaving for Kalm. I don't know for how long, a while," she said softly, daring a glance up.

There was a moment of silence that was only a couple of seconds but seemed to last forever to her. It was only because she was uneasy. Some part of her didn't want to leave these three, but she needed time alone to try and figure things out.

"We'll take you back to Edge," Kadaj spoke at last.

Turning her gaze to him, she nodded in gratitude. Than she left the room, and there was silence once more that was only interrupted by her foot steps retreating down the hall.

"Yazoo?" Kadaj said quietly.

His older brother didn't seem to hear him; he was still gazing at the spot where Janneke had been standing, head tilted slightly to the side, and a sorrowful, far away expression in his eyes. _She was leaving_. At that moment when she'd said it, he'd wanted to stop her, try and talk her out of her decision, but the words hadn't come. He'd wanted to tell her _everything_, but he couldn't. He didn't want her to leave; he'd lost her once. She didn't remember…anything, did she? She didn't remember _him_. And she was leaving.

"Yazoo?" Kadaj repeated.

Shaking his head, Yazoo turned away from his brothers.


	6. Not Able to Let Go

A/N: ) Well, here it is. The final chapter of the _Catalyst Trilogy_, the final installment. This is how it ends, and there shall be no more. Well, maybe a prequel if I have the sudden brilliant inspiration (only partially now) and people would actually LIKE a prequel : ). Thank you greatly to everyone who has reviewed and read this all through to the end, love to all of you. I'm gonna miss Sophy/Janneke! –sniffle- lol

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**Tainted Rebirth**

**Chapter Six "Not Able to Let Go"**

Janneke was walking with Faye towards the covered platform of the train station, duffle bag slung over one shoulder. She said something and the girl laughed. She ruffled Faye's hair, sliding an arm around her shoulders to draw her protectively close. The train would be arriving soon, and they were just in time. Yazoo watched them from a distance, unable to leave just yet.

"You're just going to let her go," Kadaj said softly as he stood beside him.

"It's her decision," his brother replied after a moment.

"After all your moaning these past months, you're going to let this end as simply as that?" Kadaj said, crossing his arms and leaning back against his motorcycle.

"If she remembers…she'll come back," Yazoo said.

"You didn't tell her, did you? About…?" Kadaj said.

"I couldn't," Yazoo responded.

"Why not?" Kadaj inquired.

"It wasn't important; she wouldn't have understood."

"Not important?" Kadaj repeated, "How can you say that?"

"It wouldn't have been important to _her_. She wouldn't have remembered anyway, just like she didn't remember anything else," Yazoo said, lowering his gaze.

"So you didn't even bother to try? You're just going to let her walk away, even though she means so much to you? To all of us?"

Yazoo was silent. He knew his brother was right; he could've tried to tell her, to explain it to her. It might have triggered a memory, sounded familiar to her, something. Anything. But what if she didn't remember? What if she never did? Maybe she was safer this way, returning to her new, normal life, because as long as the three of them were alive, trouble always followed them. And she wasn't the warrior she'd once been. He'd almost lost her again, and that he wouldn't be able to bear.

Watching her walking away, he wondered if he _really_ thought it was better this way. Or if he was just scared of her rejection, of her never remembering, of endangering her. If she was gone, he couldn't _protect_ her though. Maybe she'd come back, maybe they'd meet again. Time had brought them together twice before, but did miracles happen a third time?

"Its better this way," he said quietly at last.

"Better for whom, brother?" Kadaj said, "Or are you just saying that because you are afraid?"

"What would I be afraid of?" Yazoo questioned with a small frown.

"You know what I'm talking about."

He looked away. "Even if she does remember…would she be the same…at all?"

"You love her, would it make that much of a difference?"

Surprised, they both turned to their oldest brother. Loz hadn't spoken in nearly a year. Until now.

"It will always be her, even if she doesn't remember everything. It's still her soul, her spirit. No matter what."

For a long moment the other two were silent, stunned both by the fact that he had spoken, and by his words. He had managed to sum it up so simply, while they had been standing there arguing about it, really. Finally, Kadaj nodded slowly, looking over at Yazoo.

**--**

Janneke rocked back and forth on her heels a little as she waited for the train. Leaning forward, she gazed down the tracks. There it was, coming in from the distance. Finally. She was humming softly. She didn't know where she'd heard this song, but it felt like she'd known it for a long time. Maybe from her childhood?

"Don't let the world bring you down…" she hummed, shifting her grip on her duffle bag, "Forget the fear of failing…"

Faye tilted her head to the side, looking up at her mother as she seemed to silently contemplate the words she was singing.

"Mind not the pain of losing," Janneke continued, watching the train pull into the station now, "And remember…" she broke off as the doors slid open and she started forward, taking Faye's hand.

"…_I'll be there to break your fall_."

She stopped at the sound of his voice, so low and warm, cascading over her.

"_I'll hear your prayer through the cries of the dieing, I'll find your hand through the swarms of living, And take you with me to safety."_

Slowly, she turned as he finished the song. How…?

"You asked me to never let you forget that song. You hadn't thought I'd heard you, but I did; I always did," Yazoo said.

She frowned a little; what was…? Suddenly, a brief image rose to the surface of her mind. / _The rain subsided for a moment, than came down harder. "_I'll…hear your prayers…through the cries of the dying_," she started to sing softly, not even realizing that she was at first, _"I'll…find your hand through the…swarms of the living. And…and…"

"_Shit," she cursed softly, bowing her head to meet the palm of her hand. She trembled slightly. "I'm forgetting the words. I don't want to forget them. You have to remind me, don't let me forget," her voice shook as she spoke._

"_I try…singing to Kadaj, but…I'm not you. And it's not the same. He doesn't say anything about it, but I know…" she whispered. She lifted her head again, her eyes remaining closed. "We all need you, whether or not you know how important you are."_/ She remembered that; that was in the alter room at the Forgotten Capital. And…that had been when Yazoo slipped into a coma after their battle with Chimera…. She'd been singing _his _song, praying for him to wake up, been so…worried about him…

She didn't even realize she was crying until he came over to her, and gently brushed her tears away. She lowered her bag to her side, letting it drop to the ground as he put his arms around her. She retuned his embrace, closing her eyes and lowering her head to his chest. / _"Don't cry…Tenshi…" she said quietly, her cold fingers touching his face._

"_I can't help it," he said._

_She let her fingers trail down his cheek before lowering her arm again. The light was fading from her eyes._

"_I love you," Yazoo whispered_./ This image jolted through her mind, there and gone in a second, and she flinched a little. There _had_ been more he hadn't told her, but why had he kept it from her? What had happened, exactly, to cause them to be separated? She thought she was beginning to understand, but only beginning to.

"I know I should let you leave, but I can't," he said quietly, "I-"

"Tenshi," she whispered, and that one word silenced him. "I think…I'm staying." She raised her head, opening her eyes.

Surprise alit in his Mako eyes, "You are?"

She smiled a little, brushing away another stray tear, "Before this…something was telling me not to leave, but until now I never understood why," she said. Some pieces of this grand puzzle were starting to fall into place now, make sense. Seem right to her. "Besides," she said, turning to her daughter and ruffling her hair, "Faye needs her father."

Her smile grew a bit as his eyes widened.

"Surely you've known?" Janneke said, picking up her duffle bag and slinging it over her shoulder once more.

"I…you remember?" Yazoo asked.

"I'm not really sure what I remember right now," she replied, taking Faye by the hand, "I guess we'll have to see, won't we?"

After a moment, he nodded, turning towards where his brothers were.

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Janneke laughed softly as she watched Faye and Loz through the tower room window. Kadaj sat a few yards from them by the spring, acting like he was ignoring them. But she could tell that he wasn't. She watched Faye sneak up behind the youngest brother, or maybe he knew she was there, either way, the girl gave him a push and he toppled forward into the spring. Janneke raised a hand to her mouth to smother her laughter, not that any of them would have heard her anyway.

"Those three seem to be getting along well," Yazoo said, standing behind her and sliding his arms around her waist.

"Who would've thought?" she said, leaning her head back. She watched Kadaj shake the water from his hair and yell something to Loz, who was laughing at him.

"They are both young at heart," he replied.

"What about you?" she asked.

She felt him shrug.

"Oh, that's right; you're the serious one," she said.

Kadaj was tickling Faye now, and the girl was trying to squirm away.

There was a long moment of silence.

"She always knew," Janneke said softly at last.

"Hmm?" Yazoo said.

"That's why she was never afraid of the three of you," she continued, "She knows more than I do."

He frowned a little; that shouldn't be even possible. But he didn't say anything about it; worry about it some other time, it wasn't that important. Gazing down at the scene outside, she smiled again; it was so nice for everyone to be happy. For everything to be peaceful. Even if she didn't yet remember a lot, she wasn't quite as confused as before. Things would get better. All of a sudden, he lifted her in his arms.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she questioned as he carried her downstairs.

He didn't answer her, and she couldn't read the expression in his eyes. Puzzled, she was quiet as he went down the hall, to outside. Until she realized that he was heading right for the spring. As the other three paused to watch them, Faye took the opportunity to poke Kadaj in the side, the start of her pay back for him tickling her.

"You _wouldn't_," Janneke said, turning her head to look from the spring, which they were drawing closer to, to Yazoo.

"And why wouldn't I?" he said with a sly smile.

Just as he moved to let her go, she slid her arms around his neck, pulling him down with her as she fell into the spring. It wasn't very deep, but shockingly cold, and she gasped. Awkwardly, she scrambled to her feet, wading towards the edge of the spring, but he caught her by the waist, pulling her back in. Starting to laugh now, she struggled, a wave of goose bumps breaking out across her bare arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her against him, preventing her escape.

"It's _c-cold_!" she protested.

He silenced her next protest with a kiss. Almost immediately, she stopped struggling. He kissed her again, and this time she kissed him back, tilting her head to the side. It was than that a splash of cold water hit her back and she pulled away with a yelp. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Kadaj standing by the edge of the spring. She turned to look back at Yazoo; she could tell they were both thinking the same thing. She took Kadaj by one arm, and Yazoo took him by the other, and together they pulled the youngest brother into the water with them.

**End.**


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